Bus driver convicted for deadly crash

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A 22-year-old bus driver indicted on suspicions of having caused a deadly bus crash in Rasbo, north of Uppsala in February 2007, has been given a suspended sentence.

The woman responded to the news with dismay.

“It's a terrible shame. My client is extremely sorry. We thought she'd be acquitted,” said lawyer Anna Ling to the TT news agency.

She added that it's very difficult for her client to bear responsibility for the accident.

“We plan to read through the judgment in peace and quiet and then decide whether or not to appeal the ruling,” said Ling.

The woman was convicted for involuntary manslaughter, causing bodily harm, and reckless driving.

The district court found that the woman erred in her operation of the bus and didn't adjust her speed to the prevailing conditions.

The court said that a report by a commission looking into the accident didn't affect the woman's responsibility as the driver of the bus.

The accident took place on highway 288 between Uppsala and Östhammar on February 27th, 2007.

The woman was driving bus number 777 on in the direction of Östhammar. The road was slushy, and she was driving the bus between 85 and 90 kilometres per hour when she met bus number 758 traveling in the opposite direction.

Just prior to meeting the oncoming bus, the woman had passed a truck which was parked on the right side of the road, and in the process passed over the road's centre line, at which point she lost control and crashed into the other bus.

A male passenger on board the woman's bus died, along with five women in the other bus. A total of 20 other passengers were injured.

In deciding her sentence, the court took into account that the driver was injured in the accident and that she lost her job as a result. Therefore, according to the court, there is no reason to augment the suspended sentence with fines.

The court stated that the woman driving bus number 777 inexplicably drove the bus in an inappropriate manner and at too high a speed for that particular stretch of road.

The court pointed out that the woman couldn't explain the accident, seeing the lack of explanation as a shortcoming in the case.

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